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Agori-Kal
As a group, the Agori-Kal are a small, tightly-knit band of freedom fighters, dedicated to the preservation of civilization throughout the Riptide Alternate Universe. As a species, they consist of three Agori and a single Bone Hunter, all of whom were mutated by exposure to 'Kal virus' and thus are generally referred to with the suffix '-Kal' at the end of their original species name. They are the main protagonists of the Protosteel Saga, which chronicles their adventures prior to the Reformation of Spherus Magna. History Pre-Shattering / Core War The histories and backgrounds of the individual Agori-Kal need not be described in detail, as they can be found in full on the pages of the individuals in question. It should also be noted that the first story of the Protosteel Saga, The Ways Entwine, is to be considered only semi-canonical. Thus, the exact details of the meeting and allying of the (future) Agori-Kal are rather vague. It is known, however, that during the final weeks of the Core War, the four beings, showing signs of recent hard travel and combat, arrived at a main stronghold of the Great Beings. They brought with them a Ga-Matoran, Kai, explaining that the Matoran of Water had been kidnapped from her place of residence by a shadowy organization known as 'the Order of Rahara', and that they had managed to secure her freedom. In gratitude for having one of their valuable creations returned to them, the Great Beings granted Kai's rescuers a collective boon, as well as the invitation to spend several weeks at the stronghold. It was during this time that the four learned of the Great Beings’ most ambitious undertaking: the nearly-completed Great Spirit Robot, and the entire Matoran Universe within in. Mere days before the Shattering, which brought about the end of the Core War, the four beings approached their hosts and requested that, when the Great Spirit Robot departed Spherus Magna on its millennia-long exploration of existence, they be allowed to go with it, as normal residents of the Matoran Universe. The Great Beings, bound to keep their word, granted the request, although not without considerable hesitation. Matoran Universe Early Life The four beings remained together for several decades subsequent to their entrance into the Matoran Universe, long enough to learn the Matoran language and basic ways of life. They then went their separate ways, but did, to a limited extent, 'keep in touch'. This period of the Agori-Kal's history becomes vague once again, but it seems that the four dedicated their energies primarily to research and exploration-related activities. It is possible that Jallar and Roden, certainly the most combat-inclined of the group, spent several thousand years as free-lancing mercenaries, but this is unconfirmed. Order of Mata Nui / Mutation Around 35,000 BGC, the historical record becomes clear once again. Roden was contacted in person by Toa Helryx, the leader of the Order of Mata Nui, with the purpose of recruiting him and his friends into the aforesaid organization. Although somewhat wary at first, the four beings quickly gained respect and admiration for the Order and its motives, and agreed to undertake its basic training course. Having completed the basic training course with only minor difficulties, they were then offered two options concerning their future with the Order: (1) take positions as 'civilian affiliates/operatives', a low-danger, low-importance role that required little further training and would allow them to retain a large measure of control over their future lives; or (2) undergo multiple years of grueling, intense training courses in an attempt to secure positions as full members of the organization. This option would also, upon obtaining full membership, require them to completely devote their loyalty, energies, and foreseeable futures to the service of the Great Spirit Mata Nui, until the death of themselves or the disbanding of the Order. After several days of deep thought and consideration, the four Spherus Magna natives agreed to pursue the second option, seeing it mainly as a way of gaining access to the many benefits enjoyed by the Order's members, such as elite combat and survival training, exposure to cutting-edge research and technology, permanent mental shielding, protosteel weaponry, and many others. They also saw it, though to a lesser extent, as a way of increasing their chances of truly making a difference in the endless conflict of light vs. shadow. The requirement that they swear complete, life-long loyalty to the Great Spirit worried them little, as they assumed that the Order would be disbanded upon the planned Reformation of Spherus Magna. Helryx, noting the close mental bond shared by the four, placed all of them under the mentorship of the veteran agent Trinuma, who remained their primary trainer for the next several decades. It is possible that the Order assassin Tobduk also played an important role in their training, particularly that of Roden, but this is unconfirmed. Upon completion of various intensive training courses, the exact nature of which need not be discussed here, Trinuma and his four pupils traveled by ship to an unidentified Southern Island, where they were to be made to attempt the completion of the final, most important test before promotion: hunt down and capture their own mentor, within a matter of days, operating in some of the most rugged uninhabited terrain in the universe. The complete story of this mission can be found in the second installment of the Protosteel Saga, Law of the Jungle, and so need not be described in great depth. During the first day of the search-and-capture operation, Roden stumbled upon a natural seepage of Kal virus, located in a network of caverns beneath an abandoned lava farming facility. Spurred on by a reckless curiosity, he thrust his hand into what was, to him, an unknown substance, and immediately absorbed an adequate amount of its energy to trigger his transformation into a Bone Hunter-Kal. His outward physical appearance remained unaffected, but inwardly, he was now a full, true-blooded Kal, with Toa Nuva-level elemental powers of Lightning, resistance to Pit mutagen, and the power of Impact Vision. Within the course of the next thirty-six hours, Jallar, Priduk, and Zora also voluntarily exposed themselves to the same substance, the identity of which they had by now ascertained. Although of a slightly different species than Roden, their reactions were similar: each gained Toa Nuva-level elemental powers (Gravity, Iron, and Sonics, respectfully), resistance to Pit mutagen, and a vision-based power (Thermal Vision, X-Ray Vision, and Telescopic Vision, respectfully). By this time, however, numerous factors were quickly transforming the island into a lethal environment. Hordes of Visorak had recently colonized the area without the knowledge of the Order, a massive tropical storm was sweeping almost directly over the island, and the island itself, formed in long-ago centuries by a supposedly-extinct volcano, was, in fact, merely dormant, and began to erupt. In the resulting chaos, the four beings managed to escape, but without the three trainees having completed their main and only objective. Despite this, Helryx agreed to promote the newly-forged Agori-Kal to full members of the Order, on the grounds that their past training records were more than good enough to equal their 'semi-failed' final mission. She did, however, mandate that they undergo further training courses, this time in elementally-related subjects, as well as submit to research and testing in order to ascertain the exact effects of the Kal virus. Operation Predator Several months subsequent to their mutation by the Kal virus, the Agori-Kal were involved in a large-scale Order of Mata Nui 'war game' on the island of Xia, as told in the yet-unfinished third Protosteel Saga installment, Fate Unknown. Members *Jallar *Priduk *Roden (Unofficial leader) *Zora Trivia *Roden is the oldest of the Agori-Kal, being approximately two hundred years older than Jallar and approximately two hundred and seventy-five years older than both Priduk and Zora. *Jallar is the only Agori-Kal to have served as an enlisted warrior in the Core War; Zora was a non-enlisted medic, Priduk was a hired ‘camp cook’, and Roden operated as a free-lancing troop escort and guide. *Prior to the Reformation of Spherus Magna, the Agori-Kal were the only non-Great Being entities in the Riptide Alternate Universe that knew of the ultimate purpose of the Great Spirit Robot. Category:Protosteel Saga Category:Order of Mata Nui Category:Riptide Alternate Universe